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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review
Image Credit: Marvel Studios
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Directed By: James Gunn
Written By: James Gunn; Based on the Marvel comics and characters
Runtime: 149 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references, and thematic elements.
Chris Pratt – Star-Lord/Peter Quill
Zoe Saldaña – Gamora
Bradley Cooper – Rocket
Dave Bautista – Drax the Destroyer
Karen Gillan – Nebula
Chukwudi Iwuji – The High Evolutionary
Pom Klementieff – Mantis
Vin Diesel – Groot
Sean Gunn – Kraglin
Maria Bakalova – Cosmo
Linda Cardellini – Lylla
Asim Chaudhry – Teefs
Mikaela Hoover – Floor
Will Poulter – Adam Warlock
Elizabeth Debicki – Ayesha
“Thus were they united…thus do they live…and thus, perhaps, shall they die! But while life endures, they shall challenge the baneful Badoon…and one day, legends shall spring up in worlds yet unborn about those who shall be called…the Guardians of the Galaxy!”
– Marvel Super Heroes Issue No. 18, by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan
After a six-year hiatus, the lovable ragtag misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy are finally back for their own standalone outing. After serving as a backup act in the Marvel Studios adventures of the Avengers and Thor, the Guardians now take center stage. Writer-director James Gunn returns to close out his trilogy, and thankfully, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits that high note.
The key to both franchises’ success can be greatly attributed to Gunn’s affinity for Rocket (Cooper) as a character. The first film did wonders in depicting Rocket as a fully realized character. Rocket became the muse of Gunn’s creative vision, and he emerged as the heart and soul of the team. There is more to Rocket than a mere sideshow or CGI gimmick, and the sequel’s melancholy opening sequence serves as an excellent example of this. Gunn, and a team of visual effects artists likely working in one of the most thankless positions in the business, depict Rocket with more nuance and visual subtlety that is nothing short of award-worthy. These moments reveal a stark understanding of Rocket’s feelings. Rocket is haunted by his past, and his inner demons are keeping him from finding peace. The turmoil and emotions of Rocket are displayed without any dialogue or exposition. Unfortunately for Rocket, a demon from his past, the High Evolutionary (Iwuji), has returned and wants his creation back.
An Adonis Ubermensch in service to the High Evolutionary, Adam Warlock (Poulter), attacks the Guardians’ newly minted home of Knowhere. The Guardians fend him off, but Rocket is gravely hurt in the process, and none of their high-tech treatments can properly heal their friend. Rocket is running out of time, so now the Guardians must spring into action to help their wounded comrade. Their friend is dying, and they are ready to go to hell and back to save him.
While Rocket is at death’s door, his presence persists throughout the narrative in the form of a long-awaited unfolding backstory. The backstory depicts Rocket’s origin and his first found family, a group of sentient animals he quickly befriends: Lyla (Cardellini), an otter; Teefs (Chaudhry), a walrus; and Floor (Hoover), a rabbit. Rocket’s past was obviously never a pleasant one, but that vague notion does not prepare one for the heartwrenching journey that forged the innocent creature known as Rocket into a Guardian of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 beautifully fulfills nearly ten years of character development concerning Rocket.
The bond and chemistry between the Guardians as a team throughout this installment is palpable. Their compelling dynamic shines through thanks to years of buildup, exceptional writing, character development, and strong acting performances to underscore how well these characters play off each other. This is demonstrated in the depiction of Nebula (Gillan) and Rocket’s relationship. Nebula, a cyborg baptized by years of battle and suffering at the hands of her so-called “father,” has a surprising level of compassion and affinity where Rocket is concerned. There is a significant amount of unspoken emotional nuance where Nebula is concerned with Rocket. It makes sense considering the events post-Infinity War. For a time, the only friends from their original group that Nebula and Rocket had were each other. Nebula also gifted Rocket a highly coveted cybernetic limb in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. These actors have spent so much time together, and coupled with Gunn’s knowledge of the characters, they can do a lot with very little. The film’s most powerful attribute is the genuine love and bond the Guardians share.
Secondarily, while Rocket mainly takes center stage here, Gunn did a great job providing a redemptory arc for Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord. It is not necessarily a redemptive arc to amend past wrongs, but Quill finally proves his competency. Star-Lord is often shown as a dim-witted, incompetent idiot, so it was nice to see Star-Lord showcase his mettle for once. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 features Pratt’s best work as Quill to date. Star-Lord demonstrates that he’s a far more cunning leader and strategist than many fans would naturally give him credit for, and his drive to save Rocket propels much of the narrative momentum. Other than Rocket, Star-Lord has one of the most fulfilling character arcs in the film. Fortunately, ideas that were largely swept aside and never addressed in previous films regarding Quill’s background are revisited.
Sadly, Adam Warlock is the biggest casualty of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s not through any fault of the actor, Will Poulter, who perfectly looks the part, but he’s not given anything meaningful to do. Warlock’s relation to the plot is clunky, forced, and contrived. Adam Warlock needed a story where he was the central focus to let Will Poulter dive into this character.
With respect to Gunn, there are aspects of the Warlock character from the comics that he seizes on. Warlock is a primordial created through science and genetic experimentation. He’s newly born and has a type of primordial innocence and naivete. At the same time, Gunn plays up Warlock’s newly-born innocence by characterizing the golden-skinned Sovereign as a simple-minded meathead. The character of Adam Warlock is underwhelmingly portrayed as a dimwitted simpleton in an Adonis body who shares a maternal relationship with Sovereign High Priestess Ayesha (Debicki). Debicki’s talents are similarly wasted in Vol. 3. Adam Warlock’s impact on the plot is largely inconsequential, and his role could have been easily swapped out for another minor character or minion.
The general hope is Poulter will later receive the opportunity to expand on Adam Warlock. The potential for the character is there. Poulter likely signed on to the part under the expectation that he’ll get to play the juicier material with the character in the future, but he’s also been brought on at a very inopportune time — after the storylines with Thanos and the Infinity Stone stories have already concluded.
Another issue is the script’s convenient conflation with the Sovereign, Ayesha, Adam Warlock, and High Evolutionary. The retroactive changes to smoosh these subplots together are hastily, haphazardly executed, coming off as overly convenient. It comes at the cost of providing Warlock with a more meaningful role. Due to the setup and tease of Warlock in the last picture, it was expected that Warlock would play a part in the third movie. However, Warlock might have been better left aside for the time being.
Iwuji is easily the best villain the Guardians film series has seen to date. It’s a remarkably fun performance, with Iwuji delightfully leaning into High Evolutionary’s megalomania and mad scientist angle. The main thing missing is that High Evolutionary’s backstory has been altered into an alien of an indeterminate cosmic origin. The character’s original Earthbound human backstory could have added a bit more texture to the role; but at a hefty two-and-a-half-hour runtime, unfortunately, there was not enough time to explore the genesis of High Evolutionary. Gunn and Iwuji nail the fact that the High Evolutionary is in no way a god, yet he pretends to be one. High Evolutionary mistreats, exploits, and abuses his creations, viewing them as inferior. He cruelly berates his sentient creations for lacking his misguided view of perfection. The High Evolutionary also fails to meet his strict, personal standards of perfection.
The pop rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack is apropos for the Guardians. When they are fighting together, they are completely in sync and as one. The fight sequences show their combined might, and the team resembles a musical act in their prime performing years. When the Guardians fight together, they perform their best music. Gunn also executes some epic, large-scale, heroic, rousing action sequences.
Sadly, with the rock music parallels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the band’s farewell tour. With that in mind, Gunn does his best to give this charming, lovable, dysfunctional band of underdogs a grand sendoff for their swansong. The Guardians of the Galaxy perform their curtain call with aplomb. While this iteration of the team might be over, their legacy will not be forgotten.
